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Duck (Family)
"We Are All Friends" Fuloido family motto There was amongst the Sons of Heaven a subset of non-military personnel which came from a group known as the Association of Friends who had accompanied the Mikado on his campaign. All of them being pacifists and refusing to serve in the armies, they were ostracized from the main military branch, but their skills at medicine, negotiation and logistics were invaluable to the Mikado in times of need. The leader of the Association (if one could be named that, in their own egalitarian ways) was one Floyd Trente Keaton, who had been known as “Doc” by his friends. This degenerated as the translation between the Ancient Tongue to the new Tarigani, Nittan and Yunjin dialect came, turning it into “Duck”, and the whole Association of Friends between known as the Duck family of the Sons of Heaven. The Friends mainly served as medical specialists during the Conquest, assisting the Onmyou with eradicating disease throughout controlled territory but also treating injured of both sides of the conflict, earning them the admiration of many a local lord and greatly helping in negotiations with some more honorable groups of foes. After the conquest was completed, the Duck was attributed a small parcel of land close to the Imperial capital which they calmly settled, benefitting from an Imperial Decree to those lands mixed with a Decree of Imperial Protection and Conscientious Abstention of Military Service. Other than that, there are quite a few Friends Houses throughout the Empire, in larger cities, where people can come and enjoy a free, warm meal, take advantage of free medical care or simply meet with someone that will listen to their pleas. The Floyd family While all the Friends are considered to be members of the Duck dynastic family, most of their last names vary wildly, which is somewhat of a difference from other ancient Sons of Heaven families. Most of them can be recognized by their trademark headgear and simple clothing, along with their carrying of a small book in their personal effects at all time. Another important difference is that while they follow the doctrine of the Way of the Stars, the Friends also follow their own religion which is based on an old Sons of Heaven monotheistic doctrine which has been kept in oral tradition over the years. The Friends do not advertise this religion directly and most “average” locals would not know of their belief, which adds an air of mystique and secrecy around their group. This has aroused suspicion of the Minister of Astrology quite a few times, and even led to review by agents of the Ordo Malleus over the year. The Friends are generally opposed to a few things which are considered “standard” for everyone else, but they are not pushy at all in those regards and very rarely try to impose their view, unless it is something that would greatly benefit all of the Empire. Most Friends do not drink any form of alcohol (but a few have been known to manufacture it), are opposed to all forms of slavery (already illegal in the Empire, but often have been known to fight those who employed “alternative forms” of slavery) and serfdom (meaning that peasants on Duck lands are considered “free men” at all time, comparable in status to a merchant) and, one of the hardest concepts for most citizens of the Empire to understand, a refusal to swear any oaths (this has led many to doubt the true allegiance of the Friends, even though they are in direct line of service to the Mikado himself as vassals). Any who would enter service of the Duck and become true members of the Society of Friends are expected to follow these rules, which makes it hard for non-traditional members of the Society to join, as the breaking of oaths is often viewed as the greatest sin one can do in the Empire. Other endeavours taken by the Friends include multiple revisions to the Imperial Legal Code, especially in regards to cruel and unusual punishment, having lobbied against death penalty in many occasions, and negotiation to simplify the Imperial caste system to allow more possible mobility, which has always been resisted to a larger degree, even though some changes has been made following their recommendation. Lordship and territory A non-military samurai family is unusual at best, the Duck being mostly known for the high quality of their bureaucrats, but also for their doctors and other altruistic works. The territory under the care of the Friends is rather small, but features two of the larger medical schools in the Empire, where anyone with the required skills will be invited to learn the trade, most of it financed by the Duck. Some of the people invited in this way end up joining the Society of Friends as full members, but most are simply expected to perform their tasks at the best of their ability. Local farmlands are worked on by free citizens that fully own their land, rather than rent it from a local lord, but they are still expected to pay the Imperial Taxes, most of them deciding to grow cash crops like rice, wheat, peaches, cherries or apples. There is minor industry growing along the banks of the main river of the region, which goes all the way to the Capital, especially textile mills and agricultural transformation plants. The local peasantry in the Duck territory is often better off than others in the Empire, but they are required to be far more self-sufficient and well educated in order to perform well. The Duck doesn’t have any troop under arm and rely almost exclusively on the Imperial Legion for the defense of its territory, but they do keep a significant magistrate force at all time, usually drawn from non-Friends resident of their territory, and quite a few of these police organizations are armed better than typical samurai forces of other lords. Rivals and enemies The Duck mysterious religion has put it at odds quite often with the Ordo Malleus, especially since a few of their members have been known to be possessed by a specific subset of spirits which look benevolent at first but are often very destructive for mankind. The Friends have been known to police this internally, but the Minister of Astrology is quite insistent that this needs to stop. Another enemy of the Duck are other local lords who are jealous of the success and the wealth of the land of the Friends. The Imperial Decree protects them from most form of aggression, but if the Imperial power ever began to falter, they would be on the receiving end of many rival armies that would find them easy picking due to their non-military behavior. Category:Great Families Category:Tarigani Category:Imperial